Tomorrow is another day
by Cyber-Undead
Summary: One shot. Set when Shinji runs away the first time, in Genesis 0:4, and before finding Kensuke in the fields.


Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Zero. Nada. Zilch. If the owners request/demand the removal of this work, I shall do so.

AN: Begins when Shinji first runs away, before finding Kensuke in the fields. This is only a one-shot, though I might write a sequel (another one-shot) for later in the series.

* * *

Random Street in Tokyo-3

23:46

Leaning against the alley, Shinji looked up, shivering due to the cold, gazing at the fire escape and the heavy clouds above them. Sighing, he pressed himself closer to the wall, hoping to escape the downpour.

It had started to rain just a little over five minutes ago and, much to the surprise of everybody, it rained as it hadn't since before the Second Impact. To Shinji, it seemed fitting: it certainly helped the depression.

While trying to further reach out with his arms around himself, a back door of the adjacent building opened, and a burly man wearing an apron and hat of a cook came out, carrying a large container with garbage and food disposal. Emptying it on the nearest dumpster, the cook turned around and saw Shinji. A moment passed, and then the cook asked

"Hey, kid, waiting for somebody?"

Shinji, undecided on what to do, replied with a negative nod. The cook frowned and headed back inside. Before closing the back door, though, he looked back at Shinji and waved in his direction, signalling him to follow.

Surprised, Shinji went to the cook, not wanting to disrespect him or insult him over his, as Shinji interpreted, act of pity.

Passing the doorway, Shinji found himself on a moderately-badly kept corridor. Looking at the walls, he could see that the paper was old and fouled. The tiles of the floor could use a really thorough scrubbing. Near the door, a telephone was hanging, with a small board near, which had several papers pinned to it. At the wall, there were ads of many kinds.

Feeling a push on his back, Shinji stepped forward towards the only entryway.

Passing it, he found himself on a small kitchen, of maybe four-by-six meters wide and long. There were three doors – one for the frozen lockers, the other probably leading to a pantry, and the other to the restaurant or bar. Suddenly, Shinji heard the man behind him bark something very loudly and, following, heard several pots falling. Looking at his left, he noticed a younger cook with three pots on the floor around him, holding a headless fish by its tail and looking the worse to wear. The cook, that is, not the fish.

"Come on, kid."

The cook passed by him, glaring at the younger cook, and opened one of the doors leading to the tables and, with his free hand, waved Shinji inside.

Once out of the kitchen, he heard the door closing. Looking around, he saw that he was in some sort of nightclub. The walls were coated with a dark colour, probably black, and there were radical designs of red and neon green spread randomly through them. Circular tables with square benches, a dance floor with yellow symbols painted, and a red neon bar with black stools, shelves full with drinks behind the bar. Most of the tables were occupied, and there were very few seats left at the bar. The dance floor had its lights turned off and the DJ booth was empty.

Shinji, feeling out of place, kept himself near the doors, wandering if someone could tell him where to go. The matter that he wasn't even near being old enough to be here helped his discomfort. The barman, however, came to his rescue. Or so he thought, any way.

"Hey kid, who're you with?"

Shinji, stumbling on his own tongue for a heartbeat, answered

"Nobody… One of your cooks saw me outside in the rain and…" Shutting himself up, he looked down, uncertain.

The barman looked at him and, noticing his drenched clothes, grabbed him by his shoulder and took him to the bar. Telling him to sit down, the barman looked away, picked up a bottle and headed further into the bar. Shinji, sitting, looked at his left and saw a young woman looking at him. Blushing, he deviated his sight to the bar.

Several minutes passed before the barman came to him again, set a glass in his front, picked two bottles and poured their contents in the glass. Then he looked at Shinji expectantly.

Shinji, uncertain beyond measure, held his filled short glass (around as tall as his thumb) and, with his hand shaking and not due only to the cold, took it slowly to his mouth. However, before he could sip it, the barman took hold of his hand and said

"That's not the way to take a shot, kid." – Taking the glass from Shinji, the barman continued – "This is how it's done!" – With one swift movement, the barman drank it all in one gulp. Then, he slammed it on the bar and, smiling, refilled it and pushed it to Shinji.

He, swallowing nervously, picked the glass and imitated the barman. Instantly, he felt his throat on fire. Coughing, he half-fell from the stool, managing to keep standing though bend over and coughing violently.

Hearing laughter, he straightened himself and, with his eyes watered, looked at the barman who seemed very satisfied with himself. He bend down and brought up a bottle of water and gave it to Shinji. Smirking, he said

"First time, hey kid? Don't worry, it's not potent enough to get you wobbling or puking. Take a few swings of this and you should be fine." Lightly slamming his hand on the bar, he turned around and grabbed a bottle. Shinji, sitting down on the stool again, eyed the bottle suspiciously. The barman grinned and went away laughing.

Shinji, holding the bottle close to his nose, took a sniff and didn't smell anything distinct, so he took a cautious drink. Noticing it really was water; he drank half of the bottle greedily before setting it down.

00:13

Taking another gulp of water, Shinji saw a man heading to the DJ booth. His left eye, though, caught movement, so he turned his head and saw that the barman was with him again.

"So, kid, what will it be? Want another hot shot?"  
Nervously, Shinji replied to the grinning barman

"No, thank you…"

"You sure? How much money you've got, kid?" – Seeing Shinji straighten himself a bit more, the barman waved his hand – "Don't worry, kiddo, no one's trying to mug you."

Shinji, apprehensive still, said

"Not much. Enough for two or three meals at a ramen stand."

Seeing the barman nodding, he said

"Well, don't worry, we won't charge you for your deflowering." – Shinji heard the nearest patrons chuckling – "How about a beer? Or you want something more spicy?"

Seeing the barman grinning triggered the hairs on his neck to stand.

"How about a… juice?"

The barman looked at him for a moment, and then said

"Sure." – Shinji heard the sound of a bottle being opened – "Here you go."

The glass, though slightly bigger than the previous, worried him still. Whatever it had, certainly looked like lemonade. Shinji was about to grab it when the barman told him to wait. He turned around, grabbed something, and set a small slice of lemon and two cubes of ice on his glass.

His smile was giving him the creeps.

Shinji picked the glass and drank a large bit. Despite his fears, his throat wasn't ablaze again, however the drink wasn't certainly lemonade. It had a smooth flavour, sweet, not spicy, and something else he couldn't recognize. Shrugging, he drank the rest in two gulps.

8:12

Looking at the Third Children, the agent was fairly sure that his given situation was a coincidence. Being one of the agents tasked with surveillance and protection, he had gotten to know a bit about the son of the Commander, and he knew that the boy didn't had the spunk to hit a woman five years older (at the very least) and score, all in one night.

Then again, giant creatures attacking a city and being fought against by giant mechs piloted by children wasn't easy to believe either.

Ikari Shinji, the Third Children, was sleeping on a lap of a fairly attractive woman, whom was sitting on a chair with her head leaning against his. The boy has his arms around her waist, keeping himself close, with the right side of his face leaning to her chest. Their serene smiles weren't really helping the agent reach a correct assessment of the situation.

They really looked like a couple. A couple that drank too much and passed out. Proof of their drunken stupor was lying on the table, in the form of thirteen bottles. Eight Yebisu beers and the rest were all of different sizes and drinks. The bottle of Smirnoff still seemed to have a little bit left.

The agent looked at his right side, namely at his partner, who said

"How are we supposed to put this in our report? ´The Third Children, impossible for the agents to monitor at the given time due to his escape, abused in alcoholic beverages until reaching a state of… passed out?'" His partner seemed exasperated. Not that he hadn't reasons for it, too. It would really look bad in their records: a child of fourteen years old evaded their pursuit, found a nightclub where he could go in, got boozed and scored with an older hot chick.

Shame on them.

(Shinji's POV)

Shinji, feeling someone shaking his shoulder, blinked. Yawning, he straightened himself, only to lose his balance due to the huge migraine assaulting his brain. Yet, the shaking didn't stop. Too bad, because, despite the big headache and the stomach nausea he just became aware of, he felt good. Warm and fuzzy.

Holding his head and a bit bent over, Shinji looked around through half-closed eyes. It took him a full minute to recognize his location. The warm feeling didn't fade. Shaking himself a bit, and regretting doing so instantaneously, he fell off of his seat, impressively avoiding crashing against the table, and, wobbling, prayed to all the gods for his head not to hurt so much. That was when his brain took notice of two important facts: the warm and fuzzy feeling disappeared; the smell of alcohol and tobacco wasn't as strong anymore. Looking at his left, he saw two men in black suits (he failed to recognize them as Section Two agents – after all, he was suffering his first hangover). At his right, though, there was a woman sleeping on a chair. The same chair he was sitting on.

That proved to be too much for him. Pressing his hands against his mouth, he looked at the agents desperate. They pointed immediately, so he took off running and stumbling.

10 minutes later

Exiting the men's bathroom, Shinji saw an icepack being held by a hand. Looking up, he saw the barman smiling. With a moan, Shinji grabbed it and held it on top of his head with his left hand.

"Come on, kid, I've got something else to help you out."

Shinji followed him to the bar, keeping an eye closed and the other semi-open to watch his unstable step. Sitting down on a stool, he saw the barman make a mix of several items. Coffee in a large quantity. One – no, two eggs. A white powder of… something inside a small jar. He couldn't be sure, but the label seemed to be Bicar-something. Other things followed, though in smaller doses. Finally, he heard the sound of a mixer being used, a glass being filled, and then something hitting the bar in front of him. Looking down, he saw a big (relatively speaking) glass with a dark-red liquid inside.

Picking it up, he drank it all in one stroke.

* * *

Central Dogma

5 minutes later

"WHAT?"

Dr. Akagi let a tiny smile grace her features, just after telling Misato where and how Section 2 found Shinji. Even the bridge bunnies had their jaws on the floor. Amused, Ritsuko set the phone down and continued

"They told me that the barman gave a drink to Shinji, to wake him up, so to speak."

Misato, still astounded, asked

"And?"

"He ran to the toilets again. He was still inside when they called and, by the sounds coming from there, they are considering a med evac, if he doesn't come out in the next five minutes."

Spying Misato rub her face wearily, Ritsuko started walking towards the doors. Before leaving, though, she spoke one last comment

"Now, I wonder what will the Commander think when I tell him that his son got drunk and scored, last night."

Misato, turning to the bridge bunnies, nodded and said

"Yeah, probably be proud of… Wait a minute, you said 'scored'?"

Now looking at Ritsuko with her eyes bugged out, she saw the doctor turn her head and nod with a big grin.

Office of Commander Ikari

48 minutes later

Misato stood, by the doors, waiting for Shinji and his escort to arrive. The Commander, soon after Ritsuko left Central Dogma, scheduled a meeting immediately after the Third Children was dismissed from the infirmary.

Hearing the elevator doors opening, she turned and saw Shinji, who looks absolutely the worse possible, with his hands in front cuffed.

Much like she did in the morning with a hangover, except the handcuffs.

She halted the march of the two Section 2 agents escorting him and bent down a bit, in order to have her eyes levelled with Shinji's, who now had his cheeks tinted pink and was looking down at his feet.

"Ready?"

Shinji, looking at her for a heartbeat and then deviating his gaze back down, replied

"Not really... I could use some time lying down with my head inside a freezer, right now."

Smiling, Misato softly said

"Well, don't worry. After all this time, I still haven't seen the Commander shout to anybody."

Shinji chuckled and then groaned, holding his head. Misato straightened herself, still smiling sympathetically and was turning around to face the doors when one of the agents spoke

"We took a little longer because Dr. Akagi… suggested we escorted the Third Children through an easier route."

Misato, now smirking, said

"You mean a quieter one."

Seeing the agent nod, she thanked him and then waved him away. With one of her hands on Shinji's shoulder, she used the other to open the doors to the Commander's office.

Shinji looked up again and saw his father, sitting as always with his hands in his usual pose, with the Sub-Commander standing at his right side. He and Misato walked, and she held his shoulder at a given point, signalling him to stop.

The air stood still for almost an entire minute before the Commander spoke, his tone as stone cold dead as Shinji had expected

"Third Children, explain your actions."

Shinji, massaging his scalp with his hands, spoke with a tired voice

"I needed time to think about my duties, so I ran… Commander."

Gendo, keeping his steel gaze on his son, replied

"Third Children, explain your actions."

"Huh? You mean last night?" – Not hearing or seeing any sign of confirmation from the Commander, Shinji said – "I was curious about what it would feel like, to be drunk. The adults tell the children that they drink to forget, so that seemed a good idea to me."

The Commander straightened his back and looked down at several sheets of paper on his desk, and then he fixed his stare on Shinji, who had resumed his head massage.

Finally, the Commander said

"If your sync ratio suffers during the next month, I will have Section 2 escorting you at full time. Your schedule will be kept with the training of Unit 01, school duties, and the remaining free time kept in the Major's apartment. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Commander."

"If the medical checks detect any trace of alcohol, you will be placed in probation during a week."

"Yes, Commander."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Hearing this, Misato lead him outside. Once out, she turned to Shinji and hugged him. Stepping back, she condoned him on hitting on a strange girl and being lucky not to catch any disease, to which Shinji meekly said that not only he didn't remembered anything, he must've been already too drunk to have any coherent thought.

Before stepping into the elevator, he also said that they were both fully clothed when he woke up. Misato replied that they most likely had done it on the restrooms and got dressed before coming out.

"Please, Misato. Dr. Akagi found no traces of" – now with his face full red – "any sexual activity with me!"

"Section 2 found you sleeping with her."

"Section 2 found me sleeping on her lap. That doesn't imply… sex."

"You were resting against her chest, your head was nestled between both…"

"Misato! … It was the most comfortable spot."

"Really?" – Grinning, she kept her teasing – "I don't know, I've never slept with another woman." – Now gently holding her breasts and still grinning – "Do you want to see if mine are as comfortable to sleep as hers?"

Shinji, in a panic, jumped back and hit his head against the elevator wall, which caused him to lose consciousness.

Misato, looking at his downed form, smiled good-naturedly before she hit the emergency button on the panel of the elevator.

Inside the office

Fuyutski, seeing the doors close, turned to Gendo and saw him take his glasses off and rub his eyes.

Sighing, he said

"I think Yui would be proud of him. Mad, for her son to get drunk and share intimacy with a complete stranger or more, but still proud to see him take a completely normal action for humans."

Gendo, pinching his nose, replied quietly

"Proud… and ecstatic. Though I doubt that she would've let any other doctor perform the analysis. And I'd have to convince her not to have a stomach pump on our son."

Chuckling, both men spent several minutes thinking fondly about Ikari Yui and how she would've reacted to this particular event.

* * *

AN: Nothing much to say… Nobody pre-read this. 


End file.
